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As a follow-up to last week’s exposé on cold brew, I decided to investigate another highly requested (and very trendy) beverage -- rosé. This pink drink has revolutionized “wine Wednesday,” and it’s even transitioned over to the cider world with crowd favorites like Bold Rock and Angry Orchard adopting spinoffs of their own.

I find the phrase “rosé all day” just as catchy as the next person, but the few pieces of knowledge I picked up from my wine tastings in Australia did not contain any real info on what exactly rosé is. Thankfully it’s pretty intuitive -- just as you’d expect, rosé is pretty much the perfect hybrid between red wine and white wine.

All wine is made from the juice of grapes, and this juice is always a clear liquid when it’s first pressed regardless of the color of the final product. It’s then allowed to soak with the skins of either white or red grapes, giving the wine its characteristic yellow or red hue. While red wine-in-training can ferment with the skins for days or even weeks, rosé only requires somewhere between two and twenty hours of contact between the grape juice and the outside of red grapes. (Note: rosé can also be made by simply mixing finished red and white wines together -- however, this process is allegedly frowned upon, which isn’t entirely surprising given how ad hoc it seems.)

Rosé is usually associated with the summer season, and for good reason -- it’s dominated by sweet, floral, and fruity undertones such as honeydew and rose petal. However, as with all wines, the exact varietal of grape, the climate the grapes were raised in, or the region the grapes originated from can change the flavor palette quite a bit (check out the Netflix documentary, Somm, if you want to see how incredibly discerning some people are).

All of this knowledge begs the question - how can there be such thing as “rosé cider” if it’s supposed to be made from grapes? Sadly, it doesn’t really exist. Cider is made from apples, and while several different “fruity” varieties (including one to turn the beverage pink), as well as a dash of hibiscus, are used, it can’t technically be classified as a rosé. ​

While the French might revolt at the idea of rosé cider, most people aren’t the type to be hung up on such nuances. For the rest of us, it’s pretty safe to say that the apple version is just as refreshing and summery as its grape-derived cousin -- all the more reason to “rosé all day.”

Disclaimer: I am not a licensed nutritionist nor a registered dietician. The opinions expressed in this article are my own, and each individual is ultimately responsible for his/her dietary and nutrition practices. Please consult a physician before starting a new dietary program.​